HAAB Minutes 03/24/2011 161 2 :: A 17
Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board
7 36, ! March 24th, 2011
6:00 p.m.
BY: Collier County Boardroom — Building F
Members Present: Chairman Mario Ortiz; William Forbes; Manuel Gonzalez;Valaree Maxwell; David
Correa
Members Absent-Excused:Alejandro Balan, Zetty Rivera, Ileana Ramos, Renato Fernandez
Others Present: Tatiana Gust, HAAB staff liaison.
Call to Order: Chairman Mario Ortiz called the meeting to order at 6:08, noting that a quorum was
established.
Approve the Meeting Agenda: Valaree Maxwell motioned to approve the agenda, seconded by David
Correa. The motion was carried 5-0.
Approval of Minutes from the Meeting of February 24`h, 2011: Bill Forbes motioned to approve the
minutes,Valaree Maxwell seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
Guest Speaker
Cristina Perez—Code Enforcement Representative Fiala
Hiller G N
Guest speaker was not present at this meeting. Henning ai
Coyle
New Business Colette Jc
Education report by Valaree Maxwell
GED is offered in Spanish and this is not helping the students. If students want to go to college they need
to be able to speak English. It is hard to being switching from English to Spanish and vice versa, and
many times people have phobia to tests.
We (Collier County)do have the highest rate of dropout of the country. In regards to the census, not
everybody that was counted is here legally.The county is not investing the money in the right way.
Valaree doesn't agree that students take the GED in Spanish because it doesn't help them. She gives the
example of Jesus Bustamante who is not prepared. We are placing kids out in the streets with a 9th
grade education, because FCAT is equivalent to that grade. This is not an ethnical group, this happens all
Disc.Cowes'
across the board. Many kids do not know the basics,when they are faced to test without calculators
they fail because they cannot do basic math.
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Kids are not prepared; they have not been thought to learn.
Governor Scott is turning our state into a voucher State,that means that students that are considered
exceptional students,this was called special ed. This is established by the district.There is different
classification of disabilities that is categorized by a matrix.The higher the score in the matrix the greater
the disability there is.
For example dyslexia is a color pigment in the eyes that is missing.This is one type of disability.
Rick Scott is allowing that any child,from the moment that they are born, is being counted so they know
that they have to provide for future education. If that child decides to go to school that money goes to
the public school. Students with disabilities can apply to the McKay scholarship for the school of choice,
and the money goes to the school of their choice.
Schools are trying to keep student, if they know that the student don't have hope they place the student
in a program where they can work.This work program allows the school to still receiving funds.
Rick Scott program works in a way that if the kids are unhappy and not getting what they need,they can
take those dollars somewhere else.
The Supreme Court judged that no child will be denied any service of education. If an individual have
been in school in the last five years the student can get the McKay scholarship based in the Supreme
Court.
There is a new bill where the teachers are going to be paid in accordance with performance;the new
system is called merit pay.Teachers will be paid in accordance with the success of the students.
Before the merit pay was in place, schools were pushing the teachers for the kids to get good scores in
the FCAT. If they did well the school will get bonuses.The new system is different,this rewards the
individual teacher.
The system will create chaos.
In the country there are 2,000 schools with highest rate of dropout. In Florida we have the second
highest rate, and there are four schools within Collier County with high dropout rate.
You can look up information for expenditures in education,jails, etc. Look up PEW in the internet.
Members and Staff Comments
The members were discussing about the results of the census.What are the BCC going to do in regards
to the increasing Hispanic population?
Approximately 10%of the business in Collier County is by Hispanics.
Black population is the most discriminated in this country. Hispanic is the second group most
discriminated against to.
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Some conversation was on the table in regards to communication, cell phones and texting.
Information in regards to the Hispanic population workforce in Collier County was provided to the
members as requested during last meeting.
Manny Gonzalez shared information about Internet crime.Top ten types of internet crime:
✓ Not delivery of merchandise
✓ No delivery of payment
✓ Asking for information
✓ Identity Theft
✓ Sending money in advance
✓ Spam
✓ Auction fraud
✓ Credit card fraud
✓ Payment fraud
Most of the victims range between 40-49. Florida is among the top 10 states with internet crime.
One crime in Collier County is craigslist, an add is placed in internet for rent and charges for rent .
Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by David Correa to adjourn the meeting at 7:04 p.m, second by Bill
Forbes.The motioned carried by a group vote of 5-0.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the HAAB will be held on April 28th, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at the Board
Room.
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Chairman, ario Ortiz Date